Wednesday, December 24, 2008

I'm dropping in quickly tonight to say Merry Christmas to you all. I also wanted to share my favorite Christmas song. Each year I put a different version of this song in my blog. Last year's version was rather "rock and roll." This year's version definitely isn't! I guess I'll just let you play it and see if you like it. Here's Connie Talbot, age 8, from the UK, singing my favorite Christmas song ~

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

I was shopping one year for Christmas gifts. It was back when I was in my late teens. I have five brothers and sisters, and they were all in their teens also, so buying gifts for everyone was quite a challenge. That year Christmas Eve arrived, and my gifts had been purchased for the whole family save one sister. I couldn't find anything for Grace. She was 17 at the time, if my memory serves me correctly. That Christmas Eve, my anxiety mounted as I frantically searched through the stores for something really nice, then for anything that could be appropriate for Grace, but to no avail. I searched into the wee hours of the night, then finally went to bed. I awoke very early in the morning before the others and went to the only store that was open that Christmas morning. I don't recall now which store it was. All I remember is that I chose a gift, ran home, wrapped it and quickly placed it under the tree.

My sister's mouth dropped when she opened her tablet of construction paper that Christmas morning. By the way, she was disappointed.

Now it's your turn.

What was your worst Christmas shopping experience?

Please put your answer in the Comment Section below or in your blog with a link back to this post. If you post in your blog and leave your link here, I'll come read and comment there!

Monday, December 15, 2008

My answer: When I was a young child we had a silver aluminum Christmas tree. The one with the color wheel! The color wheel spun around and had four colors on it, lighting up the faux tree! We children thought it was breathtaking. Even without the color wheel the shiny, shimmering, silver tree was beautiful! Which was good, because my brother Carl sat on the color wheel and broke it. He wanted to spin around and around so he got on the wheel, and after that it was no more -- so we had a tree without changing colors. To put the lights on it was out of the question -- the tree was highly flammable! That is why it came with the color wheel, LOL.

The ornaments were extraordinary. They were the old-fashioned kind. They were mostly glass ornaments. There were your glass round bulbs, but there were also glass figures of almost everything imaginable. There were glass humming birds, religious scenes such as the creche, Santa ornaments and just lots of fun ornaments. Finally there were lots of fun homemade ornaments such as a carrot, raspberry and lacy snowflake I crocheted -- all without a pattern. All six of us kids contributed to making the homemade ornaments so the tree was special.

Later on we gave up the silver tree for a "regular" faux green tree with icicles, but that silver aluminum Christmas tree with the color wheel will always be my favorite!

Now it's your turn. What did your childhood Christmas tree look like?

Please put your answer in the comment section below. If you'd like to write your answer in your own blog, leave a link below so we can check out your answer.

Monday, December 8, 2008

You get a fruitcake about a week before Christmas. Which of the following would you choose to do, if nobody were to know?

I'd slice it up and serve it to my family and me. I love fruitcake!

I'd regift it. The very next person who needed a gift from me would be its recipient. I hate fruitcake!

I'd throw it away. It's too mean to give even to my worst enemy.

I'd give it to the bake sale or the bazaar at church. Somebody has to like it!

Is it the store bought kind with "faux fruit" such as maraschino cherries and little green bits, or is it homemade? I'll eat it if it's homemade but regift the faux! What are those little green bits anyway?

Sunday, December 7, 2008

I want to apologize to Elayne of It's a Reel Thing. She wrote a post entitled World AIDS Day on Monday, and I promised some friends I would mention the post in this blog (Sometimes I Think). I can't believe I missed posting it, but then I have 2,437 emails and I simply overlooked it. That's my poor excuse. So I ask you all to please go read her post. Elayne is a very, very special woman. She wouldn't call herself exceptional perhaps, but I am going to! She was an LPN a few years back, and she decided to care for AIDS patients immediately after she met two men with AIDS who were being ignored by medical staff. It was at a time when very few others would help those with AIDS, because of the extreme stigma involved. I know that Yeshua (Jesus) would help those with AIDS if He were alive today, just like He helped the lepers in His societey about 2,000 years ago -- the outcast of His society...

While Elayne believes in helping those with AIDS/HIV, she also believes that we should turn to G-d (she does not spell God out completely because she is Messianic Jew -- which means a Christian Jew). Turning our life over to G-d means giving our life to Him, and asking for forgiveness of anything that one needs to ask forgiveness for. Elayne also believes in keeping oneself pure before marriage, and being monogamous during marriage. Her husband, Mark believes likewise, and so they had a pure relationship! Elayne writes a fantastic post about this, which you can catch in this post: Your Kidding, Right?.Okay, enough said. I'll let Elayne speak for herself!

"Some personal stuff in my life"

Oh, one more thing I wanted to mention. I've got lots more to share with you still -- what has been going on in my life as of late. To make it a little short (ya, right, LOL), John has been in the hospital about one month out of the last two months. I will explain later. He was almost killed by a doctor. He was mocked (laughed at profusely) by several other physicians (an attending and about four residents) doing rounds. John got out of the hospital again about a week ago. Or was it two? It was two days before Thanksgiving. I was giving him home IVs around the clock. A nurse almost killed him during the last home IV when she came to pull his port out in his chest near his heart. Long story. Will explain later. Okay, so like, before that, several months ago, before the migration to Blogger, and John's month long stay at his bone marrow transplant center due to some very serious complications that almost killed him, we were actually having some fun! John and I raised some money for Light the Night walk (The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!) We were able to do the walk -- I think it was over 2 miles -- John's first big endeavor since his bone marrow transplant and remission from cancers about 3 years ago! I got photos of the event! They are spectacular! Then Kodak erased ALL my photos because I didn't agree to give them like $59.99 for the rest of my life, LOL. And they didn't warn me that the six month trial period was up. Sigh. I have to find a way to get the pics back, because I still have the original photos on the memory card in my camera. Like 300 pics, including a fun day we toured a cave -- where a man lived for part of his lifetime -- near Hershey, PA. I will show you the cave and tell you his story too -- the Pennsylvania Hermit! I did SOMETHING correct for once -- I left the photos on the memory card. In this digital stuff and computer stuff, it seems I am ALWAYS making mistakes. I feel so stupid since I came to Blogger (blogspot). Sigh, I am having so much trouble with it... Anyway, I will be updating soon on all this, and will show you all the photos, and what else is going on in my life, when I find a way to get my photos online without KODAK eating or stealing them. Any ideas of what software I can use to keep my photos, both to download and to keep them? Perhaps if I can download without using KODAK (if the camera will let me, I can upload into Photobucket, and then KODAK can't touch them, because they won't be in My Pictures on my computer anymore. Does anybody know? Thanks so much if you can help!

Oh, one final thing. I'm still going to get back to you on the series I am doing about what the best way to read blogs is. Or finding the best way for YOU yourself to read blogs. Thanks for being patient while I get back to this series!

Monday, December 1, 2008

I wanted to do this post much earlier today, but I didn't. Because it's a hard one. It's controversial. But I decided -- who cares. It contains a message I strongly believe in. The message is about why I believe in abstinence before marriage and monogamy during, to bring about the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

But let me back up for a minute and tell you why I am talking about this today. December 1 is World AIDS Day 2008. It's also called "Bloggers Unite for World AIDS Day 2008." What this means is that bloggers all over the world will be bringing light to this subject, and will be bringing awareness to this epidemic, and stating what they believe should be done in regards to prevention, treatment, and how those with AIDS should be treated.

This won't be your typical "safe sex" post. I won't suggest that condoms should be thrown at them, while you turn away, telling them that they can use them if they just can't control themselves anyway. Why? Because it's sending them a mixed message -- telling them they just can't control themselves, just can't wait for marriage...

No, this will not be a "safe sex" post. I've already stated that to be safe, both the guy and girl must abstain before marriage, and be monogamous during. Do I believe our young people can do it -- can abstain before marriage? A resounding yes! Why? Because we as humans are made in the image of God. We are not mere animals with no self control. We have a will given to us by God. And those of us who are born again, have the Lord in us in a very special way, and can listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, always relying on the Lord to keep us away from trouble and temptation. If you do not know Him today, it is as simple as calling on Him, and asking Him to reveal Himself to you... Trust me, this will work, I have never seen Him turn anybody away. Just ask Him...

But to be successful these young people, if they are going to be able to practice abstinence must be taught several things by their parents, and must be allowed to opt out of school sex education "safe sex" classes. They must be taught behaviors other than those that will lead to sex, AIDS and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Some of these behaviors that might lead to sex (and therefore STDs) may be alcohol use, drug use (pills, pot, and IV drug use), taking the birth control pill, hanging out with a poor choice of friends (which could get them into sexual behavior), etc.

These young people, especially the teenage girls, should be given a lot of support in their lives. They should be taught self respect, hope for their future, job training, a desire to improve their lives, a realization that they don't need a boyfriend to believe they are something special. They should be taught a certain sense of empowerment, and that they are special in and of themselves. They need to come to believe that they don't need a child at an early age to be fulfilled.

The girls should come to realize that sex before marriage is not a good deal for them. They need to be taught that if they get pregnant, they won't be in a happy situation. Guys often won't marry women after they've had an abortion or given birth. About 80% of couples break up after an abortion. He just doesn't respect her anymore. And if the girl gives birth to the baby, he still won't marry her either. Because he won't need to make a commitment any longer. Look at statistical facts and you will find they bear this out.

Then the young lady is left in the position to raise the child herself. Each of these girls must come to realize that if she just gives herself away like this, that she will no longer, quite possibly, be loved nor respected, nor will her child, and she must singlehandedly, then, take care of, support, and protect herself and her child. It's not a good deal for her or her child. And at this point, she just may have contracted an STD and just could have given it to her child. If this young man was that casual with her, who knows who else he has been casual with...

Another reason it is not wise for these girls to engage in sex is because they risk getting the Human Papilloma Virus every time they sleep with a guy, as sexual contact occurs in the entire genital area, including the area outside the area where condoms are worn. This causes the risk of HPV every time sex occurs. And now that we are on the subject of HPV, AIDS is not the most common STD in America. HPV is. The Journal of The American Medical Association recently estimated that 49% of sexually active college girls, and 40% of sexually active highschool girls in the US are infected with HPV, an STD which can lead to cervical cancer. So, one can easily ascertain that, because of the way HPV is contracted, and because of the high incidence of it, there is no such thing as "safe sex." It's just not tue -- neither statistically, scientifically, or medically.

We need to be concerned about how HPV is contracted, and its consequences. Think about it -- every other young woman who is sexually active, that walks past you on a college campus, may just have HPV. Soon we may have our own even more serious epidemic right here in the U.S. It could supercede the epidemic of AIDS in Africa in seriousness, if HPV continues to spread, and cervical cancer rises in prevalence.

To hear more about HPV, as well as the emotional effects of premarital sex, please watch the following video.

It also discusses that after four years, girls who are on the birth control pill have a 60% chance of having a baby. That means six out of ten girls on the pill will become pregnant in four years! Now, you and I both know, the only foolproof way for these girls not to have a child before marriage, is to not have sex before marriage. Yet they, perhaps, are the ones most likely to be having the children. Such irony. And so sad for them to be in a situation they feel they can't handle, after having been lied to by the sex industry, who has tried to push sex on them for profit. Here's the video I promised you:

So we've looked at why sex outside of marriage is not such a good deal. It's damaging for emotional and psychological reasons. It will lead to low self esteem. We've also discussed that it's not practical and it's not worth the pay off. You're likely to get a guy who won't commit afterward, especially if you've had a child, and who won't support you or the baby. Maybe you will be left with something. An STD. Sex before marriage is simply not practical, and it's a very bad deal. For both the girl and the guy. Sorry guys that I've beat up on you so badly in this post. You are sometimes the one to get the short end of the stick, I just don't have time to explain everything tonight...

Okay, now I am going to be bold again. There's another reason why you shouldn't have sex before marriage. It cuts off your spiritual life with God. It's a sin. If you find yourself in this kind of behavior, repent, and turn away, through the help of the Lord.

Okay, if you don't believe in the Bible, I'll give you another reason why you shouldn't practice what many call "safe sex."

Please read the above link. Here are just a few facts from this fact sheet:

Holes in Condoms . . .

STDs are very tiny organisms, minuscule in size compared to sperm. These super-small viruses can get through a hole in a condom much more easily than sperm can. For example, HIV (the AIDS-causing virus) is so small that two million of the disease-causing agents could crowd on the period at the end of a sentence.

In 1993 the University of Texas analyzed the results of 11 different studies that had tracked the effectiveness of condoms to prevent transmission of the AIDS virus. The average condom failure rate in the 11 studies for preventing transmission of the AIDS virus was 31%.

One reason condoms fail in preventing the transfer of AIDS is that latex condoms have tiny intrinsic holes called "voids." Sperm is larger than the holes, but the AIDS virus is 50 times smaller than these tiny holes which makes it easy for the virus to pass through [Source: Dr. C. M. Roland, editor of Rubber Chemistry and Technology]. To give you an idea of how easy it would be for the virus to pass through these holes, just imagine a ping pong ball going through a basketball hoop.

Those are merely facts from studies! I can't make them up. Now let us end with this:

Here is another post from Lynne you may want to check out written for "World AIDS Day 2008".

Here's a special post from Tom. Please don't get mad at me Tom, 'cause I didn't get a chance to ask if I could include you! You went offline, but I had to include this, as it was so beautiful and forgiving! Thanks!"Never Hate the Sinner -- Hate the Sin."

Sunday, November 23, 2008

I'm in Hershey with John. He's been hospitalized here since early Friday, at his bone marrow transplant center. He's got either zoster pneumonia (from the shingles he had in September and October) or he has fungal pneumonia -- the doctors can't ascertain which kind. He has been in and out of the hospital since the end of September. That is one of the reasons I haven't posted much in the past couple of months. I haven't had time, as I have been taking care of John while he was sick, both in and out of the hospital. I have to be honest with you, I did have time to post some after I got home from his first hospital stay, but I was just having difficulty posting. I felt completely dry. I just couldn't write. I was completely overwhelmed from what I went through with John when he was in the hospital in September and October. He almost passed away about three times while in the hospital, and well, it took a big toll on me. There were other things that took a toll on me that simply prevented me from writing . For instance, John and I only got home from the hospital after about almost a month, just in time to migrate our AOL blogs over to Blogger. It was horrendous. We literally only had a few days to migrate several blogs. I was sooo frustrated when I was trying to set up my blogs, LOL. I just couldn't get them the way I wanted them. I still can't. Never the less learn how to write in them... Lest you think I am silly, try to remember the first couple of weeks you were on Blogger. Remember how frustrating it was, LOL? A new format! I felt so stupid and couldn't do anything on Blogger. So I just got stifled and didn't write. For days. After awhile I posted occassional. So now you know why you see occassional posts from me... Don't be too concerned though. I am back into the swing of things now, and can right again. I'm "unblocked," so to speak, LOL. I am not so sure, but the pressure broke about a week or so ago, and I was able to write again. And then I ended up here. I am frustrated, but will be home soon to continue.When I get home I am going to continue my series about The Best Way to Read Blogs... I see everybody has different ways, and it is kind of interesting, what I am learning. It has been very helpful to me, learning from all of you! I hope I can help you also! I am refining my method, perhaps you may even want to refine the way you read blogs also...

Finally I want to say that John may be able to come home from the hospital tomorrow (Monday). The doctors are not sure what he has, but they know it is some kind of pneumonia. So they will probably be sending him home on IV meds. What that will mean is this -- if Dr. Claxton says he can come home, then John will leave with a port in his arm (I don't know if it will be temporary -- or more long term like most cancer patients get for fluids and to draw blood). Through the port I will give John his IV meds. I will give him an IV at home for two weeks. I don't mind doing this. I would rather do home IVs than stay at the hospital. I will be a little nursey at home, LOL. I used to be frightened to do this, when I first started it, a few years ago. I was terrified to do home IV. Now I find it a piece of cake. They will have to review it with me though. But I want to go home!Okay, I just wanted to let you all know where I was, and where John was, in case we were gone for a few more days. And I wanted you all to know why you haven't heard from us. We haven't tried to do a vanishing act...Okay, I am going to go get back downstairs to John. I need to get out of this hospital computer room. I am such a computer addict, LOL... John is probably awake now. I just wanted you all to know where we were, as I haven't been able to do an entry in over a week. This is the second time we have been up here at Hershey Hospital in the past week... Okay, back to John.Bye you all, krissy :)

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I've been sort of stumbling around lately, trying to figure out a method to read my blogs. I've tried several ways, but none seem just right for me. So I wanted to ask you all -- What method do YOU use to read blogs? I'm especially interested in hearing from those who were with AOL Journals, and are now at Blogger. Have you found a satisfactory method (or combination of methods) to read blogs yet?The main reason this topic is important to me is because I want to find the blogs I like to read, and in a timely fashion, as they are updated. But it's also important because, when I update, I'd like others to know about it, and read me. I am sure each of you feels the same way. So, let's talk about this. I'm hoping it will help all of us. I realize what works for you may not work for me, and vice versa. I think we should share our ideas and methods on the subject, though. It will help each of us find something that works. Both to read blogs, and have ours read. Could you please leave a comment and let us know how you read / keep up with the blogs that are important to you?

Next Wednesday, I'm going to do another entry, after reading you all's comments.After you've commented, if you have time, please check out my sidebar, and vote in the poll concerning this matter. Thanks!Krissy :)

Saturday, November 8, 2008

I got a message from Donna of D's Designs and Other Things. She wants everyone to know she's okay. She had an unexpected hospital stay for the past week.

But she's doing okay now.... She expects her recovery will take awhile, though...

She won't be able to get on the computer too frequently, and it could be awhile before she'll be posting regularly... Don't worry about her though, she's okay!...

She wants us to know she hasn't gone anywhere, and not to forget her!

If you'd like, please post this also. Krissy***Edit at 10:00 PM on 11/8/2008:I wasn't going to mention this, but since some people have put the word out anyway, I guess I'll explain what's up with Donna, because the above post could be construed as a little mysterious, thereby confusing you. I just wanted to mention that Donna had a heart attack about a week ago and then had bypass surgery. It will be awhile before she can be back on a steady basis, but she really IS okay. Prayers please... Krissy

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

I guess I missed it -- the historical significance of what happened last night. You see, it never occured to me to consider that it was historical that an African American had won the election. It didn't occur to me, you see, because I'm basically color blind. I neither thought of Obama as black or white. Actually he's both!

I awoke suddenly on the couch a little while ago, where I had fallen asleep while watching the presidential election results. The news was on in the background. So I listened. The newscasters were talking about how yesterday was a historical day, and that we had witnessed a historical election. The reason is because an African American had won the presidency of the United States of America.

I was taken aback. I had not looked at Obama as black or white. Just an American. So I was taken aback.

The newscasters were saying that those who were old enough to have gone through the 1960s and before would understand the significance of him winning the presidency.

Yes, I was around in the sixties, but barely. I wasn't old enough to see the prejudice that the newscasters were talking about. So to be honest with you, I was taken aback when they shared with us that this election held great historical significance.

You see, I grew up in DC and Northern Virginia. We weren't prejudiced. My generation and after, at least in the part of the country I grew up in, was basically color blind. As are, I believe, most young people today. Depending upon which part of the country you are in, I guess, and how your parents raised you. But my generation, and those of the generations after mine -- I would say -- are pretty color blind.

So I didn't grasp what the newscasters were saying at first -- I didn't grasp the historical significance of Barack Obama winning the presidential election. The newscasters said his win was a "healing thing" for the nation. A sign that America has dropped a lot of her prejudices.

Okay, so I am listening to the news again. The newscaster just reported that many around the world find it a "great hope" that Obama won the election -- as he is a black man, and America chose him... The news just reported that!

I'm still a little confused. If we're supposed to be color blind as a nation, why are there so many persons in America, and abroad, saying it is a "great hope", that a black man can be president? Why is he identified as either black or white, is what I am trying to say? Why not just an American? I thought we were supposed to be color blind!

Okay, I'll take a stab at understanding. Yesterday was a historical day because a man of color was elected to the presidency. And Americans are hopeful in this event, because it shows that prejudice is not as prevalent in this country as it was in the past. Many Americans -- black, white, or whatever color -- thought they'd never see this day. I guess the hope is that prejudices can be torn down, especially since Americans voted for a candidate regardless of his color or race...

This is a lot for my mind to comprehend, because the newscasters, and others older than I am, are just not coming from the same place as I'm coming from. When I think about people, I don't think of them as white or black or whatever. I don't think of their color at all when I see them. Sheesh, it didn't even occur to me Obama was black, until the newscasters said so! I mean now and then it occurs to me, but almost never.

I heard on the news program that a huge amount of young people turned out for Obama. They came in droves. This fact is known through exit polls.

The exit polls showed these young people are truly color blind. That's a great thing.

Perhaps we are getting color blind? This is a day of importance then. The newscasters said they didn't think they'd see this in their lifetime.

So it's a good thing that a person with a vision can be president. We need to celebrate that.

Now if I could just get to liking Obama's policies!

But I need to do what Betty of a corgi in southern california says to do. "Pray for our new president elect" whether he was my choice or not... Others are saying that also in my comment section of yesterday's entry. That we need to pray, and try to help make our country better in whatever way we can...

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

A couple of hours ago, I cast my vote for President of the United States. I was the 1,278th to vote in my precinct. Do you realize that's an astounding turnout? I didn't even know there were that many people in my precinct! Such a big turnout. I drove by a couple of polling places today and there were people lined up around the block, waiting to vote.

So now I am listening to the news. I am a little frustrated. Almost immediately the newscasters started calling states for Obama, even before the votes had been counted and called in. Weird, why would you call a state for a candidate when only a small percentage of the precincts have counted their votes and called them in? How would you know if you should attribute the electoral votes of that state to that particular candidate, if all the precincts hadn't called in yet?Okay, the newscasters just announced for Obama. They said it would be impossible for McCain to win. I guess it looks like Obama's going to be the forty-fourth President of The United States of America. He'll be President Barack Obama. Sigh. Obama isn't my choice. Oh well, I said how I felt, I better not cry but move on. I don't think he'll be best for the country, but there's nothing I can do about that right now... So, how are you feeling about the results of the election right now? Throwing a party? Mourning? Somewhere in between?Drop a comment and let me know how you are feeling right now...

Friday, October 31, 2008

I'm sad. I just went to look at my AOL blog, Sometimes I Think, one last time, and it's gone. Ugh. I wrote on that blog for almost five years. I was in AOL JournalLand for almost 5 years.

I know. We have to adjust. We have to change sometimes. I know all that. I know better days are to come. That doesn't mean I'm not sad. Just to see such a stark screen where my blog once sat was hard. It was a grey steel black. There was a little writing on it -- and AOL was making an attempt to fix it up into some kind of special page or something - I guess a new project that they have going on. It was like half completed.When I first saw the page my heart sunk. My blog was gone. And laugh if you want, I know THIS is my blog, but Sometimes I Think on AOL was my blog too. I loved it, it was my online home for a long time, and through it I met many, many people who I love very much. Yes, a lot of you are still here, and are over at Blogger. But I haven't found everybody yet. And we haven't had time to be community like we had been in awhile. Because we have just been trying to move our blogs from AOL and make them look like some kind of a blog, over here on Blogger (blogspot.com), LOL.I don't know if I even like my blog. Not yet. It is awful funny looking! I can't make it do what I want, nor can I make it look how I want. But that will come in time.I don't know, I'm just in shock. I'm a month behind everybody else, three weeks behind, because I was not here on Blogger when all of you who made the move from AOL to Blogger were overe here. That is of course because I was with my husband in Hershey, at his bone marrow transplant center, while he was trying to stay alive again. Thank God he made it. And as I came back, I have only had one week to scrape together this blog, move about four other blogs I have, move my husband's blog over, help a few others make it across, and then plop down in exhaustion right now. And I don't even have time to plop down in exhaustion right now, because I have to go out to an appointment. I just wanted to get on here, and say that I am sad... As I was saying, I haven't had time to get involved with the community yet, and the other place (AOL Jland) is gone. I know I have been here at Blogger a week, but as I was saying, it's just been a mad scramble to move blogs. So I don't feel a part of Blogger yet, the Blogger community. I just haven't had time to visit you all much...Okay, I am being silly... Of course I am part of the community, it is still the same community as it was over there! I just haven't had time to visit. And I still don't have time, I am off to the doctor to get my flu shot!

In the next few days I hope to get more connected with you all again. Thanks for being there for me!Goodbye forever JLand, and AOL journals. Hello Blogger and community.Krissy :)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Okay, so like, I still want to write regular posts, but I haven't had time. I am still setting things up with my blogs, and also trying to catch up on hours of housework and other things I missed while John and I were away while he was in the hospital. But I will do a proper post soon. Just hang in there with me, especially you international readers, who must be bored by now, of the things I have been writing of of late. I know I promised I would update you on John and some other things...

But for now I want to help those of you who have made the move to Blogger with me. I want to say I figured out how to get my Comment Alerts, and I wanted to share it with you. Perhaps you all have already figured it out, LOL, and I am the last to do so! I am three weeks behind because I was in Hershey! But I will share this with you in case you don't know already.

And I will also say I am sorry that I didn't know it earlier, and some were making comments, and I didn't catch them right away. I know I hurt some of you, by asking you questions that you had already commented about, because I missed your comments. I also haven't answered questions or visited your blogs. Or added you as followers. Two reasons. I just haven't had time, with trying to migrate my blogs, sidebar, etc AND I haven't found all your comments yet! What a nightmare. But I am learning. I wish I had known about the Comment Alerts from the beginning -- then I wouldn't have missed any of you all's comments. Now I am going back and searching for them all. Rest assured I will find them though.Now I will tell you how to turn on your own Comment Alerts to your own blogs. I suggest you do this - this way you won't miss anybody who has commented in your blog. I am not saying that you should get Entry Alerts like we did in AOL. If you got Entry Alerts, we would go back to having hundreds of emails again, LOL. That was unmanageable. We have faces now to read other's blogs, and feed readers such as the Google Reader. I don't understand the Google Reader yet, and how to read others completely yet, but I will figure it out. I am reading in my dashboard right now. If anybody could explain to me the best way to read others blogs, please email me! I am so confused!But back to getting Comment Alerts - those who will comment to you in YOUR blog. Do this:

Click on Customization, then Settings, then Comments, then go down to Comment Notification Email - put in your own email address. Do NOT put anybody else's email address in here, unless you want them to get all the comments to your blog (and I am sure you don't !). Just put in your own email address that you want the comments to go to. You won't miss any Comment Alerts that way!Okay, I hope that was useful information. Now I must get back to work. I have so much to do. I have to clean my house. And gee, somebody was supposed to show up at 1:00 and it is 1:37. I don't like it when somebody says they will show up for an appointment and they don't show up. Unless they have a good reason. I was counting on them. Grrrr....Love you all, bye, Krissy :)

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Hi! It's so cool to be over at Blogger, in the sense that it is finally nice to have only one place to blog, instead of two. I have finally migrated from AOL journals to here! Yes, it took awhile -- John was in the hospital for about three weeks. And was sick about a week before that. So I am a month behind the rest of my friends who have moved over to Blogger. That's okay though, I'll just have to learn.I've been very frustrated, though, LOL. I love learning new things, but it has been a little difficult. I want things to work and I want things to work now! Yesterday I had my All About Me Section disappear! I was able to add it back in by html code, though. I am getting a little smarter, LOL. I also keep having these wrenches appear, even after I sign out. Those of you who are on Blogger will know what I am talking about. Those wrenches that help you edit your widgets (gadgets) in the sidebar. Even after I had signed out, these wrenches kept appearing! I am thinking, "Okay, I am trying to make this blog look kind of nice, and everybody is seeing wrenches??? What's up with that? Not cool!" Right now I am very frustrated, and want to go back to AOL Jland, LOL. I know things will be okay eventually in this blog service, but I am getting frustrated. Does anybody know the number of a REAL person to call if we are having problems? Or who to email? I know we can get in touch with Guido at Magic Smoke jlandhub, but, I mean I need to get in touch with somebody who is actually on Blogger staff. I have a support question to ask!

This bemoaning reminds me of something. I figured since we were all in this together -- we who moved from Jland to Blogger -- that we should have a Directory to find one another. That way we will always be sure we have each other's blog addresses when we need/want them. So I started a directory of blogs. Right now it is in it's infant stages, a collection of blog names and information. But eventually it will be more organized, and my hope is, a well used directory. If you would like to be part of the from Jland to Blogger directory, just go to the blog (click on link I just gave you!) and put your blog name, and other information asked for, under the appropriate letter of the alphabet that your blog starts with. For example, my blog is Sometimes I Think, so I will put it under S. Oh, and if you would like, you can mention from Jland to Blogger in your own blog/journal, and ask others to come add their blogs to the Directory. That would be cool!

Okay, I will do another entry soon. John is doing a lot better, and I want to let you know more about what is going on with him. But first I have to let him use the computer, LOL, so he can tell others where his blog is!

For those of you who are not with Jland (hi Mississaugua, Ontario & Vienna Wien, Austria, and the rest of you all!), If I just proceeded to bore you, sorry. I will get to posting regularly again soon. I have lots of photos I have taken for the past month or so, and lots of stories to go with them! I want to show you the Light the Night Walk photos. The walk that John and I went on to help raise money to fight cancer. I also have photos of a cave we went in, a couple days after the walk. I have fascinating photos and stories to go with that. I also have photos of John at Hershey Medical Center, shingles and all.Would you all all like to see the photos of John at the hospital, shingles and all, or is that too gross, LOL? I took them while he was lying there, and he said he doesn't mind if I show you...Okay, I must get off and allow John to use the computer. Bye for a few, and love to you all, Krissy :)

Monday, September 29, 2008

John was up all night feverish, and I was up a lot off and on, making sure he didn't need to go to the hospital. Finally he hit almost 102 degrees. I was about to take him in when his fever dropped some again. So we stayed home.

Right now he is about at 99.5 degrees F. I am excited that his fever is down. But he is in just as much pain now than he ever was, and looks miserable. I didn't know shingles was that painful. I guess I must have been with him through shingles at least two times earlier, come to think of it. Both after chemo treatments when he had low immunities. But I don't remember him being in this shape. You know, he was in the hospital then, so, it must have been the nurses, not me, who saw him suffering so.

So I just got home from the pharmacy about half an hour ago. Yay, he finally has the proper medications now. :)

I see some of you worried about the substitute med I gave him last night and today. I guess I should have explained it to you. It was fine for John to take it. It was something that was originally given him at the hospital, and the doctor had told me it would be okay for him to take. I knew this at the time I gave it to him last night -- that it would be fine for him to take. I guess I should have made that more clear. I wanted the more effective medication that I had filled for him today, but that other med that was put in the bag was okay for a temporary fill in. Sorry if I scared anybody.

Okay, so I need to run. I have to go get some food into John. Even though he will probably refuse it. And I guess my cat Michael is hungry too! And uhm, yah, me too.

So anyway, if you don't hear anything from me about John for a few days, that's a good thing. If he has to be hospitalized, I'll let you all know.

I just discovered a bottle of medication in the bag that the Pharmacist had given me this afternoon. The medication was in the bag with another medication the doctor had prescribed for John. In other words, there were two bottles of medications in there. The medication is not the exact same kind, but a near substitute. There are only about six pills in the bottle. The Pharmacist must have called the hospital and asked if she could do the substitution until I was able to get the other drug. I know this is true - now I am remembering the Pharmacist saying something about needing to call the hospital .

But when I went to check out, that Pharmacist Assistant mentioned nothing about a substitute. She merely said that the drug I was attempting to get filled for John unavailable, and wouldn't be in till Tuesday or Wednesday at the earliest. She suggested a few other pharmacies I might find it, although she stated I wouldn't be able to get the medication from them until Monday at the earliest. She told me to call back her pharmacy on Tuesday to see if the med was in. She NEVER told me to look in the bag for another medication -- a partial fill. She just never mentioned the med was in there.

Gee. Why hadn't the pharmacy told me they had put a substitution in the bag? I guess there was no communication between the Pharmacist and the Pharmacist Assistant. How frightening...

So as of right now (Sunday a little after midnight - actually I guess it's early Monday), John has a fever of 101. I am going to call his bone marrow transplant center in a few minutes and ask if he should be hospitalized. But locally, not over in Hershey. I don't think that will be necessary at this time. But I will ask them.

Sunday, September 28, 2008

John can't seem to get a break. After having severe pain for several days from his neck, we noticed he wasn't getting any better. So this morning really early I took his temperature and it was almost 102. So back to the hospital we went. When we got there and they were putting on his gown, the nurses noticed that he had these big red splotches. "You've got shingles," I told him. No wonder he was in so much pain. The doctor came in and confirmed the diagnosis, and ordered John morphine.

They didn't hospitalize John this time. They often do because of his frequently compromized immune system. But this time the doctor figured John would be more comfortable at home, and be less likely to pick up another virus there. So they merely sent him home, scripts in hand. One prescription was for an antiviral, which his oncologist (bone marrow transplant doctor) told him to stop recently because he didn't think John needed it anymore. He told John he was past the point of getting shingles from his bone marrow transplant or chemo treatments. NOT. Looks like John can still get shingles. Another med the doctor stopped had to do with John's immune system...

Something else that just wasn't our luck either, is when I went to get one of the important medications the doctor wrote the script for, the pharmacy didn't have it and won't have it in until Tuesday. That is not an option that John doesn't take the medication until Tuesday. He needs it before that. . Maybe I will be able to get the medication through another pharmacy tomorrow (Monday). I hope so. John needs it as soon as possible.

Well, that's about it. I'll keep an eye on him. His fever has dropped to about 100. Or is it 101? It is bouncing between 100 and almost 102. If it gets to 102 I bring him back to the hospital, and they admit him.

I hope they are going to keep him local and not bring him to Hershey. Ugh, bad timing! Because I have so much to keep up on -- how can I possibly go to Hershey right now? The bills, the rent, the cat. I have occupational therapy, physical therapy, doctor's appointments next week I need to go to, etc. This would be a bad time to try to get away. And I absolutely HATE to be separated from John. I hate to go away, and hate to stay...

Friday, September 26, 2008

It's been 14 days since I've done an entry. I hate that, but there has been so much going on, and I haven't had time. I've been visiting my Mom in the hospital and rehab center since she broke her neck and had surgery. John and I also went to Hershey last weekend (to his bone marrow transplant center) for some appointments and we went on the Light the Night Walk to raise money to cure cancer. I will tell you more about the walk soon. I have some photos I took! It was a big success in a lot of ways - it was John's first major physical endeavor since his bone marrow transplant! But I wanted to say thank you to all who noticed my disappearance in the last week and left comments and emailed me. You all are sweet.

There have been a few more things I wanted to mention also. I know I am packing a lot of information into once entry! John went to the Emergency Room last night. His neck and shoulders have been hurting him for a week. Turns out he has a neck strain/sprain, similar to that of whiplash. The doctor informed him that he sprained his Trapezius muscle. I just looked up Trapezius muscle in Wikipedia because I didn't know what it meant. It says it is shaped like a diamond, and spans the neck, both shoulders and the back. That is what he has sprained, and it is inflamed, and bulges and spasms at times. He is in severe pain right now. It is preventing him from driving some of the time. Ugh, that is hard since I haven't been able to drive for about two years due to narcolepsy.

Okay, something of a blessing I wanted to tell you all about! I never had to have the shoulder surgery I was scheduled to have! My arm loosened up a little -- enough to allow me not to need the surgery. This was about a month ago I guess. Instead of surgery, my orthopedic surgeon sent me back to occupational therapy. And I have been going for a month. It's been going great. It can get pretty painful at times, but that is fine, because I am breaking up the scar tissue in my frozen shoulder and am starting to be able to move it again! I am getting ultrasounds, which really break up the tissue that has been frozen, and although it hurts a lot, it is a great thing. I work hard to make progress.

I am also getting physical therapy for my legs. Okay, that's another long story, we will leave that one out for now, this is getting entirely too long, LOL. It has to do with my diabetes. Yes, I have diabetes too. Yes, I am a mess. But I got my diabetes (hba1c) results back today, and my sugar level has improved a lot since last time the test was taken. Yay for me! I also have lost 10 pounds in two months. I could be doing worse!

Okay, now that I have shared way too much personal information about myself, LOL, I am going to get off here. Or have I? Anyway, I just felt like catching up. I will try to be more regular on writing entries.

Oh, and for those of you who have asked, my Mom is doing a lot better. She could actually come home as soon as some time next week. Thanks for asking, and thanks so much for your prayers! :)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

My Mom was hospitalized this week. On Tuesday she had spinal surgery on her neck. During the surgery, the neurosurgeon discovered that her neck had been fractured. She also needed to have a disk removed because of stenosis. I won't explain all of what that means, but I will say it was extensive and took 5 hours.

Let's just say I'm dealing with a lot right now. It's hard. I don't like to see my Mom vulnerable like that.

To top things off, John and I need to go out of town for three days. He has some appointments at Hershey Medical Center, where he had his bone marrow transplant.

John and I are also going to participate in the Light the Night Walk while there. Light the Night is a walk to raise funds to battle against Leukemia, Lymphoma, and other blood cancers, two of which John has had.

John and I are leaving for the walk tomorrow morning (Thursday, Sept. 18). I want you to see my webpage for the walk. I never got to post the link to it in my blog, because John and I found out about the walk just a week or so ago, and because of the situation with my Mom I couldn't really spend my time on creating the website nor on fundraising.

So I haven't raised much money by not displaying the site! But I wanted to give it one more try.

I know it is last minute to be showing you my fundraising site. But if anybody can donate to find a cure to end blood cancers (such as MDS & NHL like John had), I'd really appreciate it.

I have to leave for the walk Thursday morning, so the donation would have to be made by 9:45 am EDT on Thursday. The site takes credit card donations.

Thanks for considering. Even if you can't donate, take a look at my page anyway. Just click the logo below.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Five days has gone by since John and I last saw Rachael. We are not certain of her fate, except that we know the landlord caught her.

The morning after we saw Rachael being chased around, I called the landlord. Actually, one of her assistants answered the phone. "Did you catch the chicken yesterday?," I asked. "Yes we did," she curtly replied. I continued, hoping that they still had Rachael in their possession and that she would end up in a good home. "The SPCA said they would take it to a good home if you caught it." Angela quickly replied, "Ya, I think that's what we did, took her to the SPCA!" I couldn't just let it go. I HAD to know. She was after all, OUR chicken, and she WAS Rachael. "Are you sure you took her to the SPCA?" I said. "I'll go verify -- Do you want me to?" she asked. "Please," I replied.

She left and returned in about 15 seconds. "We got it and we got it taken care of, so" and she immediately stopped talking. She was speaking to me very strangely and matter of factly with a different tone than she had been using earlier. I quickly said, "You're not going to tell me what you did with her, are you?" There was silence for about three seconds and then she hung up the phone.

John called the SPCA and asked if anybody had brought in a chicken. They told him no.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Shortly after writing the entry below, a police officer knocked on our door. The police officer went outside to see Rachael, and John went with him. The police officer tried to get close to Rachael, and each time he would get near, she would quickly run from him.

The police officer told John that he had come instead of the Animal Control Officer. If it had been earlier in the day (before 5 pm), the police officer told John, then the Animal Control Officer would have come instead. He then told John that the Animal Control Officer would be back the next day to pick up Rachael from our yard.

Here's the part that has me upset. We are renters. This police officer decided that he would call the manager of our property, and let her know that Rachael is staying in our yard. Yes, the manager has a right to know. But we are not too sure she won't just want to kill Rachael.

The police officer left, and a little while later John and I saw a couple of people looking in the bushes in our backyard -- someone with property management, and a kid about 18 or 20 (I don't know where the kid came from).

The kid was laughing like it was all a big joke, and chasing Rachael around the yard trying to catch her. The kid fell running so fast trying to catch her, and the whole time he was shrieking in laughter. Rachael was running around the yard trying to get away from him. The guy with property management was just standing there.

I am wondering. Where did this kid come from anyway? I have never seen him with management before. Did management just pick up one of the neighborhood young people on the way over, to chase the chicken for them? The reason this is important is because the kids might try to fuss with Rachael tonight, now that they know she exists.

The last we saw of Rachael was her running out of the yard and away from the kid..

I'm kind of mad. When the dispatcher from Animal Control said they would come out, they said they wouldn't hurt Rachael, and would bring her to the SPCA. Instead, a police officer was sent out. I guess I had better explain something. The Animal Control officer is a police officer, and because it was past 5 pm a regular policer officer came instead -- who was not with animal control, and knew nothing about animals.

I think the police officer who came tonight (a little after 5 pm) actually had no intention of catching Rachael to bring her and bringing her to the SPCA anyway. I think he just may have come to see if we were pulling a prank - so he could let the Animal Control know if they should bother to come out tomorrow.

As evidencing this, he had no way to catch Rachael - he told John so. And he told John he had no carrier to put her in for transport. He did approach her to catch her, but she kept running from one end of the bushes to the other. "What would he have done with her if he had caught her?" John just asked me. "She wouldn't just let you pick her up like she was a puppy or something!"

So we don't know where she is now. She has run off. I think she'll return to get food, unless she is sufficiently frightened of our yard now. I want her to be here in the morning, in case the real Animal Control people show up to bring her to the SPCA. I hope that boy never caught her - unless he gives her to the right people. I think he is a local neighborhood kid, and if he found her tonight, who knows what he and the kids are doing with her. I am MAD.

We liked your name for her, baby sister D. Well, I know you suggested three names - but we are not naming her Weezy or Cluckers. She deserves something real pretty.

We are having to choose a name for her real quick, because the police and an Animal Control person are coming to get her. John called the SPCA first and they said if someone would bring her over to them, they would "place her with someone who would take care of her". So then John called our local Animal Control. Animal Control said they would send someone over to catch her. They promised they wouldn't hurt her, and that they would bring her to the SPCA.

Rachael is real scared right now, hiding in the bushes, because there is too much traffic on the street right now. Please pray for her, that she not be too scared to go with them, and that she doesn't put up too much of a fight. Ya, right, LOL. I am just so upset. I want her to go with them because I am afraid a teenager around here is going to kill her. There are so many of them. Rachael was gone for a little while this morning, and I thought she was dead... But thank God she has come back, and somebody will come to get her...

I feel a little nutty, having feelings for a member of lifestock, LOL. But I really love her. Because she is large, and pretty, and funny, and chose US to stay with, for five days now...

John brought home chicken last night and I refused to eat it, LOL. Ugggghhhhh, this isn't happening to me!

Please, just pray for Rachel, that she go peacefully with the Animal Control, so she can go to a good home! :)

Monday, September 8, 2008

Why would the chicken come into my backyard? I don't know! Three days ago John and I were looking out our bedroom window and noticed something in our backyard. It was a chicken. "Get my camera!" I shouted. I figured you all wouldn't believe me, perhaps, as I just did a chicken entry, LOL.

John got the camera and started snapping away. The photos aren't real clear, because they were taken through a window, but you will be able to see our chicken friend.

Where did she come from? I don't know. We live in the suburbs. Perhaps she fell off a farmer's truck. There are no farms here, or neighbors with chicken pets.

I think she picked us because John puts out seed for the birds. He scattered some more on the ground last night for her. You can see her eating bird food in this picture.

This afternoon the chicken was stalked by a neighbor's cat. The cat came into our backyard and approached her. The chicken started clucking and making a big fuss. The orange striped tabby cat must have decided that the chicken was too big to tangle with (they were about the same size!), so the cat ran off.

I'm looking out my bedroom window right now, and I can't see the chicken -- She usually sleeps hidden in the bushes at night! But I want to call the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) to come get her before somebody messes with her, or kills her. The SPCA will take her to a farmor something. When I tried to call them to come yesterday, two ladies ran into my yard trying to catch my poor chicken (who knows why?) and she ran away frightened. So in the morning when said chicken emerges from the bushes, I will make another attempt to call the SPCA.

So this is where you all come in. To have something to remember her by, I wanted to give her a name. Does anybody have a suggestion? If John and I like your name, we will go with it... Meanwhile, do you think she's pretty?

Thursday, August 28, 2008

I am going to do a real entry later tonight or tomorrow. :) Meanwhile, I thought I would put this video in. It's just for fun! The words are kind of silly, I know, but like I said, it's just for fun. I just enjoy hearing the kids singing.

The group calls themselves the Castillo Kids. They are Joey, Jessie and Julie Castillo, and they are 12, 10, and 8! I found them on YouTube. It's amazing how many instruments they play, and how quickly they pick up a song. Joey says they often play by ear, and learn songs in one day! That's incredible. Okay, without further ado...

I asked the readers of SIT what the most unique item was in their purse or wallet. The answers are listed below. Now we'll find the most unique answer among everyone! Please choose ONE answer, and don't choose your OWN! All can play!

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a little about me...

Hi, I'm Krissy. I'm just your average girl. I love blogging, Twitter, almost all Social Media, digital photography, fundraising to fight cancer, designing and making jewelry, watching Claymation Christmas specials -- just working hard and playing hard! I also love my husband John, and maine coon cat Michael. But most of all I love Jesus...
Please visit my main blog Sometimes I Think